How regulation affects energy saving: Smart grid innovation in tall buildings

The economic problems involved in new high-rise buildings are mainly approached from the developer’s perspective, especially in privatepublic partnerships, popular in Italian urban planning. Interest in energy savings and sustainability for buildings has recently increased considerably. Italian regulations have generally approached these problems from the viewpoint of materials and structures; zoning regulations do not cover energy from the viewpoint of investment projects and their externalities, either in urban development or from the economic viewpoint. This paper examines the economic problems of energy consumption, with specific reference to tall buildings and high-density areas. Due to their typology of construction, dimensions and complexity, tall buildings may be viewed as urban developments in their own right. In more detail, this paper describes how the energy demand and consumption of single buildings can affect the energy trade-off of entire cities